What would you do?

[Steven Green]

Hire on as crew

I would find a racing syndicate that is training for a transatlantic or circumnavigation race. I would beg on as crew at reduced wages, learn from the best and get a chance to sail the world. This could turn into the "career" of a lifetime. By carefully investing the inheritance, I could fund my own travel and living expenses for many years, as I sail with various syndicates. Maybe I can sail for the rest of my life, as long as I am able! Who knows, maybe one day I will captain an Americas Cup contender or a Magnum challenger?!

 

[keith]

buy & sell

BUY THE BIGGEST BOAT possible and outfit it for $400,000 leaves $100,000 to cruise for 3 years. Return after 3 years sell the boat for $350,000 (quick sale)buy a coastal /smaller boat for $50,000 to $100,000, pocket the remainder & work at home depot fot pocket change & insurance.also don't forget the profit you make renting out your house while you are cruising.

 

[michael d]

Ex patriot

Uncle Harry did not say anything about returning. 3 yrs extended to 20 yrs maybe a little longer if I survive all the fun.

 

[droopy]

I would buy the

best build nices boat I could find under 300,000. Then take 6 months off and go sailing with the other 200,000. Anything left atfer that would go into oil stock. Then it is back to work! $500,000 is not a lot of money these day but I'd have a great boat!

 

[Topaz]

Can I go Alone?

I would be gone in a flash . . . . BUT . . . . My wife is not . . ah . . . in love with the water . . . :-(

 

[bluetoad]

This muse is Absured

The silliness of this muse is that it doesn't take half a million dollars to go cruising forever. In fact having this pile of money would only complicate life afloat. Take what you need to buy a decent used boat, used is better more on that in a minute, and refit for the journey. Put the rest of the money into a trust fund to be distributed in small amounts annually to the charity of your choice. Like, the local sailing school or the like.Then you can leave without the Millstone of big money around your neck and really get free in the world. You see most American's that I know, and I'm working class, just can't handle money. Too much of it and it becomes a real burden on their minds which leads to stress. And that's no way to go to sea.Oh, and why a used boat? Cause if you find one that has been owned by a knowledgeable owner who cruised the boat as you intend. Then it will likely be pretty close to ready to go when you get it. Some minor refit, provisioning and maybe some sailing school and you'd be ready to go.After all, this is a real opportunity we are talking about, isn't it?

 

[sailortonyb]

BlueToad

It doesnt cost anything to live under a freeway bridge either. When I was living in The US Virgin Islands , I referred to some of the cruisers as the prisoners of St Thomas. They had big old boats of their dreams. Then ran into items of costly repairs. No money to fix it. Cant make more than maybe a few bucks an hour. Now living in an area where a Qt. of milk is $5 and a small can of tuna fish is $2.50. Dont have enough money to get their boat back to the US mainland. Dont have enough money to fix it. Cant leave it on a mooring very long unless they lease it from the Gov. And who will move it for them in storm season if they fly back to US and try to earn money? Cruising is generally not TOO expensive but with a little bad luck it can be devastating. I wouldnt even consider cruising without a minimum of $7,000 in n untouchable repair fund. But then again, we all have different standards of living. Oh yea, lots of cruisers that cant afford to rent a car, be a tourist or do any of the fun things. Living at anchor only, gets old fast. Im sure others will disagree with me. depends on which book they read.

 

[Franklin]

I don't read books

so maybe that's why I agree with TonyB...well...almost. I am currently saving for my cruising trip. The lack of money is the only thing stopping me right now. In my estimates, to be able to cruise the world, I need at least $100,000 saved and no bills (not even a boat payment).Now I don't even think that is enough money to last 30 years of cruising (which is what I just may do) so that is why my plan is to day trade stock with 40% of it. I believe I can easily earn $500 to $1000 a month with that and that will cover my normal monthly expenses. Problem is, there is nothing normal about cruising for 30 years. There will be tons of things that I have to pay for that I can't estimate. I may have to bribe officials. I may have to do extensive repairs for a bonehead mistake. I may even have to buy a new boat. I think I only have a 10% chance of being able to cruise off $100,000 for the rest of my life but as long as it gets me around the world I will be happy.Now if I had a half million, I don't think I would ever work for a paycheck again.Just one more note: You can eat at a resturant in Vietnam for 25 cents and get a FULL service maid for all day at $7....so it's not all expensive.

 

[Nereussailor]

GET UP & GO!!!!

I'd pack up a bag, buy a boat in the 40 ft range for a couple hundred thousand, tell my wife I'm going cruising for a few years,(she wouldn't go for more than a week), and go. I wouldn't look back. I probably wouldn't even come back!

 

[Nereussailor]

By the way...

Clyde, Me thinks your thinking is a little off. I don't think you'll ever leave the dock. *sry

 

[Guy D]

I agree

with makingthyme. Leave 25,000$ in the bank with a trusted fiduciary and go.Most of us dither around because we don't have enough money, a big enough boat, or some other mental exercise.If a young person wants to travel after college, do it right then. You'll get a job when you get back, spend the rest of your life, maybe, catching up and talking to people about Italy or some place they'll never see. And you did it while you were young and had the energy to see it all, and you didn't mind sleeping in a hostel or a bus seat.$25,000 ought to bail you out of about any jamb and get you home. If you have to, leave the boat-somebody will steal it sooner or later and it won't be your problem.Remember that story about the guy who sailed his Cal 21 to Hawaii? I guess he wanted to go to Hawaii. If he hadn't made it, so what, he was doing what he wanted to do. Do you want to do your job? Most of us don't. And what if tomorrow doesn't come? We get sick, we get pregnant, we get too old.Go now. The money and everything else will work out, just not the way we planned, maybe. Don't get bogged down in paralysis of analysis. What's the worst that could happen-they send you to sea? (Old merchant marine punch line from a previous life) Guy

 

[sailortonyb]

$2,000 / Month

To cruise the Gulf coast and the east coast of the U.S. and anchor out ALL of the time, $2,000/Mo.is a nice reasonable budget. That will get you a nice restaurant once a week and plenty of beer money and a local tour once in a while. This however doesnt cover any major repairs. I got this figure from my own (very limited) experience and from close friends that have cruised the coast line of the Gulf and the Atlantic. $1,000/Mo. is tight but do-able.Just remember that serious engine repairs can average 4-$6K, sails can run 3K each, unless of course you are in no hurry and can do some bargain hunting. Also dont forget ground taclke and rigging. When it comes to do it yourself stuff, what tools do you keep on the boat? Space is at a premium unless you have a very large boat. What if you suffer damage that requires an extended haul-out? some yards will let you live aboard and some wont.You may not have a car payment but you will have taxi and car rental fees. It all boils down to how much do you want to do and at what level of lifestyle.Pretty much figure out what it costs to keep the lifestyle you have now and subtract the rent or mortgage payment. BTW, transient fees can be a killer but me and wifey kinda like marinas and the marina lifestyle also.Franklin is the man with the plan. I salute you, fore I will never even have 100,000 pennies. When I get back to Kemah, we need to discuss this over some more beer. Ill invite my sweetie, she could be the designated driver.

 

[Ross]

I must live very frugally. Nancy and I were

discussing this tonight and our living expense on land does not exceed $1500 per month if you factor out car expense. But that includes utilities and health insurance. Food and wine averages about $420 per month, health care costs are $500 per month. Sails will last several years so their cost should be budgeted with that expectation. Your ground tackle shouldn't need replacing annually. If you are cruising your motor fuel cost should be measured in single digit gallons per month. Probably once a week you need to hit a laundry sothat would mean a stay at a marina.

 

[Doug]

Cruising World

sponsored a lecture at the boat show. It was pretty good, had freelance writers from the magazine speaking. They all had globel experience cruising. It came down to how fluffy you will want to live. Getting to the islands to look at the shore would suck. Personally I want do do some stuff when I get there. Numbers from $10,000 to $100,000 anually are the budget of people doing it now. Nobody mentioned it and when I realized it, it was kind of a bummer, all but 1 of the speakers had some sort of government pension. Good talk with seriously knowledgeable people though.

 

[doug]

one more thing

Dingys get alot of use, apparently get stolen or lost alot, and need service like a car so don't completly forget car expense. And I bet you don't take many cabs when you're home.

 

[Ross]

Doug, nice looking dinghys get stolen.

Paint it some gawdawful color and pattern that will mark it as yours and most people would be ashamed to be seen in it. I had an old rusty Volvo station wagon that I use for a marina car. I never locked it, i took the key with me, left small change on the consol, nobody ever bothered with it. I figured if some kid took it joy riding he probably couldn't drive a manual transmissiom and his friends would laugh him to scorn.

 

[Sequitur]

I have already ordered a new Hunter 49,

I have already ordered a new Hunter 49, which is slotted-in to be completed and ready to ship to Vancouver in late March or early April next year. After fitting-out and commissioning here, my plans are to spend the much of the remainder of 2007 exploring the Charlottes and the North Coast, as I shake-down and prepare to sail off over the edge of the earth. Dear old Uncle Harry's bequest will simply add a bit more to my cruising kitty.

 

[73mensailed on a '92 Mac 26s]

So Long..Farewell..

Auf Wiedersehen..Good Bye. Whatever the boat, whatever the destination, the ultimate ability to just sail away is what we want. You could color me GONE!!!

 

[Franklin]

Taxi....I don't think so

That's what a mountain bike is for. I currently spend about $400 a month on food, beer, and eating out. I'm not a picky eater and I don't need to go to a dinner theater to enjoy shore life.How about I camo my dinghy and outboard As for washing clothes, TonyB has a great idea with putting them in a holie laundry bag with soap and drag it behind as you sail and then just rinse with fresh water. Sounds like a great idea to me. I may never use a dock again As for the sails and all, I plan on having new of everything before I leave...new sails, already have a new engine, outboard, dinghy. Will have new standing and running rigging. New hatches.

 

[sailortonyb]

Taxi is not what u associate with here.

When i was living in St. Thomas in 2000, what I called a taxi. the locals called a safari car. It was basically a pick-up truck with bench seats along the sides over the wheel wells. You just jumped on , passes a $1 bill along the crowd and someone would hand it to the driver thru his window. They went pretty much from one end of the island to the other and stopped whenever you passed the word along the same way you passsed the dollar bill along. One more thing i forgot to pass on. Here on the American mainland, water is free. In St. Thomas its 10 cents per gallon out of the faucet. Everyone puts a chain and lock on their water faucet in the marina. Yes, there is a meter on every slip.Boat-wash anyone?